XBox 360 Elite

[jonathan swift]

I tried to return mine to Best Buy the first time it broke, it was within a week and I still had the receipt and everything but they wouldn't take it back because their computers "had no record of the transaction".

 

[Mark Plemmons]

Oh, suggest away by all means!

Still hoping Mass Effect is just around the corner. That was my major impetus.

Ditto. That's one of the upcoming games I decided I had to have a 360 for (plus Halo 3, of course). Just got my 360 (Pro) a few weeks ago. I've only got Dead Rising and Viva Pinata (and the full Gauntlet download, as of today) for it so far. My fiancee and I are both big on the Xbox Live Arcade, mostly for the puzzle and old-skool arcade games. And Settlers of Catan is now on there, too.

My own economic game plan is usually to sell old comics, games and videos and such on ebay, then use that money to buy new games and stuff (which is what I did with the 360).

What's the word on Jade Empire? Up to the hype?

I enjoyed it on the original Xbox, but it kept crashing during loading times, so I never got halfway through it. Of couse, my old unit has a loading problem where you have to put in a disc several times before it finally loads it up. So it wasn't the game itself.

Oh, my gamertag is MWP1138, if anyone wants to start an ENWorld 360 friends list.

 

[Felon]

Well, I got my Gamefly account going.

I played Lost Planet for maybe a week and then sent it back. Pretty, but a little basic in terms of gameplay.

Saint's Row, OTOH, is a wonderful game. Lots of incentive to explore, tons of mini-games, and a decent range of challenges from easy to nail-biting.

I wonder if games like Saint's Row and GTA would be more properly catgorized as RPG's?

 

[freebfrost]

Not true. Core and Premium are sticking around.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=160875

Well hey, I didn't have to wait a year! Microsoft caved after 6 months and eliminated the Core.

 

[Atavar]

Well hey, I didn't have to wait a year! Microsoft caved after 6 months and eliminated the Core.

Actually, they changed it a little and repackaged it as XBOX Arcade:

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/x/xbox360arcadesystem/

Later,

Atavar

 

[GoodKingJayIII]

Well hey, I didn't have to wait a year! Microsoft caved after 6 months and eliminated the Core.

Yeah, I'm kinda right and wrong on this one. Arcade is basically the same, but if you want something pretty basic it's a lot better in terms of value.

 

[trancejeremy]

It's a whole lot better than the core, actually, since you get a memory card with, instead of having to buy one for $50 (thus making the "core" price really $350).

You still have to pay through the nose if you ever get a hard drive for it (I think they are $100 sold alone). But it's actually viable to new buyers, IMHO.

 

[Enforcer]

So, the Elite is still the only one with the HDMI output? I don't have an HDTV, but plan on getting one in the future, and I'd like to ensure that any console I buy has the HDMI connection.

 

[drothgery]

So, the Elite is still the only one with the HDMI output? I don't have an HDTV, but plan on getting one in the future, and I'd like to ensure that any console I buy has the HDMI connection.

The Elite, Arcade, and Halo 3 Special Edition always have HDMI ports. The Core never has HDMI. Pro / Premium / 'standard' 360s made since this summer have HDMI. However, there may be some older versions of the Pro / Premium / 'standard' without HDMI still on store shelves (though the Halo 3 rush may have cleared them out).

Only the Elite comes with an HDMI cable, though, and those can get expensive if you're not careful (don't buy MS / Sony / Monster HDMI cables; the generic one will work fine).

 

[Felon]

A great deal, just in time for Mass Effect, The Orange Box, Assassin's Creed, Army of Two, and Lost Odyssey.

But how much can really be saved on a 256 MB memory card?